Automatic cooking apparatus.



H. V. GOES. AUTOMATIC COOKING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1915.

1,186,884. Patented June 13, 1916.

. 3 SHEETSSHEET I- @j H. V. COES.

AUTOMATIC COOKING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, I915.

Patented June 13, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- H.\ 0053. AUTOMATIC COOKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-12,1915.

Patented June 13, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SH EET 3- m/Kw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD V. GOES, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SENTINEL MFG. 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

AUTOMATIC COOKING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Application filed April 12, 1915. Serial No. 20,848.

tute part of this application, andrepresent,

Figure 1 a view in front elevation of one form which a cooking apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention may assume, the broiler-supports being broken away. Fig. 2 a view thereof in right hand side elevation. Fig. 3 a view thereof in vertical transverse central section, from front to back. Fig. 4 a detail view in vertical section on the line ab of Fig. 2, showing the coupling of the gas-supply valve with the automatic mechanism by means of which the valve is closed at a predetermined time, and also by means of which the valve is prevented from being opened and left open until after the timing-mechanism has been set and cocked.

My invention relates to an improvement in automatic cooking apparatus, the object being to produce asimple, convenient and effective apparatus constructed with particular reference to eliminating a movable closure for the inlet draft-passage of the cooking compartment.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in an automatic cooking apparatus having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

Y In carrying out my invention, as hereiii shown, I employ a rectangular cooking compartment 2 having double, top, bottom and side walls packed with insulating material 3, as well as a double door 4 having hinges 5, a handle 6, and mounting a heat-indicator 7. The bottom of the said compartment 2 is formed with a large circular central heater or burner-opening 8 faced by a flanged bushing 9. A circular suspension-platelO located within the compartment 2 and larger in diameter than the opening 8, is superimposed upon an annular asbestos absorbing-pad 11 resting directly upon the inclined bottom 25 of the compartment. Bolts 26 passing downward through the plate 10, the pad 11 and the double bottom of the compartment, hold the plate and pad in place. The inclination of the bottom of the compartment is suflicient to cause the condensed vapor to be drained into the pad. The inner portion of the plate 10 is set downward so as to extend into the bushing 9 as shown in Fig. 3, and formed in its edge with an annular groove 12 receiving the edge of the suspension-ring 13 of a burnercage which also comprises regularly spaced .depending webs 14 supporting a circular head 15 which is internally threaded for the reception of a final mixing-chamber 16 receiving the elbow 17 of a horizontal mixingtube 18 terminating at its outer end in an initial mixing-chamber 19 receiving a gasspud 20 having a regulator 21, and in turn connected with a gas-supply pipe 22, containing a gas-valve 23 of any suitable form. The burner-head 15 aforesaid is provided with a concentric arrangement of tubes or nipples 24 growing shorter, as shown, as they approach the center of the circle in which they are arranged. The secondary air for combustion enters the burner laterally from all sides through the segmental ports formed between the webs 14 of the burner-cage and combustion takes place at the tops of the tubes 24, the flame rising more or less through the central air-intake opening 25 in the suspension-ring 13. The burner just described is normally stationary with respect to the bottom of the compartment 2 from which, however, it is readily removable for being cleaned or for other attention by lifting it into the compartment after which it may be withdrawn through the door thereof- The compartment has no large inlet draft-passage opened and closed by a sliding or swinging closure as. in the devices of the prior art. On the other hand, my improveddevice has a fixed air-intake represented by the aggregate of the segmental ports between the webs 14 and limited in capacity to substantially the amount of air demanded for combustion.

The compartment 2 is provided at its upper end with an egress draft-passage or vent 27 located in a housing 28 containing a closure or damper 29, furnished with a tongue 30 extending outward into a flue-connection 31 attached to the outside of the comparta vertical guide 32 to ment and containin prevent the lateral displacement of the tongue 30. The said damper 29 is automatically raised above the vent 21 by means of a vertical lifting-rod 33 having bearing at its upper end in the said flue-connection 31 and at its lower end in a bearing 34 secured to the outside of the compartment. At its lower end the rod 33 rests upon a liftingarm 35 mounted upon the inner end. of a horizontal rock-shaft 36 supported in brackets 37 depending from the bottom of the compartment and provided at its outer end with a rocker-arm 38 connected by a long link 39 with a rock-arm 40 mounted upon a short rocker-shaft 4l-journaled in a yoke l2 depending from the bottom of the compartment, the said shaft 41 being furnished at its outer end with a rocker-arm 43 connected with the lower end of a vertical operating-rod if the upper end of which is connected by a coupling sleeve 45 with the lower end of a coupling-rod 46, forming a member of a self-contained time-controlled operating mechanism which by preference, though not necessarily, will be constructed in accordance with the disclosure ofmy copending application, filed February 20, 1915, Serial No.'9561. As herein shown, the said automatic controlling mechanism comprises a setting-lever 47 having at its lower end a handle l8 and at its upper endan index-pointer l9 sweeping over a graduated dial 50. The said lever 47 is mounted upon a spring-actuated winding arbor 51 mounting a timing-disk 52. having a timing-notch 53 adapted to receive the tooth 5i of a timing-lever or trigger 55 pivoted upon a stud 56 and having at its upper end an arm 57 connected with the upper end of a helical spring 58 the lower end of which is attached to. a stud 59, the said spring operating to keep the tooth 5i constantly inengagem ent with the periphery of the disk 52 or entered into the notch53 thereof. The setting lever has the further office of winding the actuating-spring not shown herein, but fully disclosed in my said application. The said timing-lever 55 is formed with a-notch 60 receiving the nose 61 ofv a latch-arm 62 forming a feature of an operating-lever or manual, 63 mounted upon ashort rockershaft 64 journaled in a frame 65 in which allcof the parts of the self-contained timecontrolled operating mechanism are assembled in a unitary organization. spring 66 connected at one end with the frame 65 and at the other end with a lug 67 on the lever 63, exerts a. constant effort to'push the operating-rod 4:4: downward to simultaneously lever or manual 63 is pulled down against shut off the gas at the valve 23 and close the damper 29 down upon the egress draft-passage 27. Conversely, when the operatingthetension of its spring 66, the rod 44 is lifted with the effect of opening the egress draft-passage 27 by raising the damper 29 abo\ e"-;it, .and of preparing for'turning on the gas-by the manual opening of the gasvalve 23 which, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with a handle or manual 68 secured to the outer end of the valve stem 69 which is furnihed at its inner end with a couplingarm 0 extending upward into a clearance space formed between the link 39 and a coupling-plate 71 applied thereto by screws 72, 73, the former of which engages with the arm to automatically shut off the gas at a predetermined time. A spring 82 on the valve-stem\69 prevents the same from being accidentally turned. The salient feature, however, of my present invention is the combination with a cooking compartment having a controlled egress draft-passage and a burner-opening, of a burner arranged in a controlling relation to the said opening, the said elements and features being so arranged and proportioned as to measure and control the intake of the secondary air required for combustion and so as to prevent the escape of heat from the compartment, whereby the controlled egress draft-passage assists the burner during the period of firecooking in the intake of secondary air and assists the burner during the period of fireless-cooking in preventing the escape of I tosupply a broiler only the side supports 7 9 ,of which are shown. burner-frame and broiler form no part of However, the said my present invention and are merely shown to indicate the adaptation of my improved automatic cooking apparatus to standard gas-ranges. Under the construction de-' scribed, the operation of the operating-lever 63 and the setting-lever 47, in the order, named, becomes a condition precedent to\the maintenance'of the gas-valve 23 and the damper 29 open.

In the operation of my improved cooking apparatus, the operating-lever or manual 63- is first drawn downward against the pull of the power spring 66, to cause the latch-arm 62 to engage with the lifting-arm 80 of the timing-lever or trigger 55 so as to swing the same from right to left to retract the tooth 5% thereof from the timing-notch 53 of the timing-disk 52, whereby the timing mechanism proper is unlocked, as it were, and prepared to be cooked. The setting-lever 47 is now manually turned clockwise from left to right until its indexpointer 4:9 is brought to registration with the particular graduation on the dial 50 representing the desired time-limit, the operating-lever 63 being manually held down against the tension of the power-spring 66 until the notch 53 in the disk 52 has been moved out of registration with the tooth 54 of the lever or trigger 55 which is now held by the riding of the said tooth upon the periphery of the saiddisk, in its latched or cocked position in which it holds the lever 63 in position to'be automatically tripped or released. When the said lever 63 was pulled down as described, it operated through the rod 44, the link 39 and the lifting-rod 33 to raise the damper 29 into its open position above the egress draft-passage or. vent 27 the said damper being maintained in its raised position by the entrance of the nose -61 of the latch-arm 62 of the lever 63 into the notch 60 of the timing-lever or trigger 55 which in turn is maintained in its cocked or latched position by the timing-disk 52. When the lever 63 was pulled down, as described, the link 39 was moved rearward, whereby the abutment screw 73 was carried rearward so as to clear the coupling-arm of the gas-valve 23, thus permitting the handle 68 of the gas-valve to be manually thrown rearward to turn on the gas in doing which the said handle is brought into position as shown in Fig. 2, to. be automatically operated to shut off the gas by the said screw 73 at the time of the automatic forward movement of the link 39 at the conclusion of the predetermined period for which the time-controlled operating mechanism was set. It will thus be seen that, as already stated, the setting of the timing-mechanism is a condition precedent to the maintenance of the damper and the gas-valve in their open positions. After the gas has been manually turned on, it is lighted at the burner which is supplied with the secondary air required for combustion by air drawn into it between the webs 14 of the burner-cage. The products of this combustion pass upward through the opening 25 in the plate 13, thence through the cooking compartment 2 and finally through the egress draft-passage 27. Now at the expiration of the time-limit to which the device was set, the timingnotch 53 will be brought into registration with the tooth 54, whereupon the spring 58 willact to enter the said tooth into the said notch and thus release the lever 63 to the action of the power-spring 66 which will sages provided for the ingressof air to support the combustion of the burner, are neither opened nor closed, but remain a constant factor in the use of the apparatus, the

air taken into the apparatus during the heating period being carefully gaged to the amount required to support the combustion of the gas. When the damper is closed, the circulation of air through the compartment 2 is of course stopped and the amount of outside air entering the compartment thereafter is negligible. It may also be explained that during the main portion of the secondary cooking period, which is the period after the gas has been turned off, the compartment 2 will be packed with heated air which will prevent the entrance of outside air except as the air within the compartment slowly contracts by cooling.

During the initial heating of the compartment, that is to say, when the burner is burning and the damper is open, all vapors thrown ofi by the food instead of condensing, will pass out through the egress draft-passage. When, however, the burner is extinguished and the damper closed, the moisture will be retained within the cooking compartment, condensing therein and running down its side walls to its inclined bottom by which it will be drained to the absorbent pad 11 to be again vaporized by the heat retained in the thermostone which is not shown, or by the burner when the same isrelighted for the next cooking op eration. It is immaterial how the moisture taken up by the pad is driven off so long as it does not recondense to run out of the apparatus upon the floor. The burner or heater is made removable by preference and as shown to permit it to be cleaned and for otherattention, but in the use of the apparatus it is stationary in its relation to the cooking compartment.

.of heat from the cooking compartment,

whereby the controlled egress draft-passage assists the burner during the period of firecooking in the intake of secondary air and assists the burner during the period of fireless-cooking in preventing the escape of heat from the cooking compartment.

2. In a cooking apparatus for conjoint fireand fireless-cooking, the combination with .a cooking compartment having an of a burner arranged in controllingrelation to the said burner-opening, the said elements and features being so arranged and proportioned as to measure and control the intake of the secondary air. required for combustion during the period of fire-cook ing, a closure, and automatically released means for maintaining the said closure in its open position during the period of firecooking and permitting it to close at the be ginning of the period of fireless-cooking.

3. In a cooking compartment for conjoint fireand fireless-cooking, the combination with a cooking compartment having a controlled egress draft-passage and a burneropening, of a suspension plate located within the said compartment, and a burner suspended from the said plate in controlling relation to the said burner-opening, the said elements and features being so arranged and proportioned as to measure and control the intake of the secondary air required for combustion and so as to prevent the escape of heat from v the cooking compartment, whereby the controlled egress draft-passage assists the burner during the period of firecooking in the intake of secondary air and assists the burner during the period of fireless-cooking in preventing the escape of heat from the cooking compartment.

4:. In a cooking apparatus for conjoint fireand fireless-cooking, the combination with a cooking compartment having a controlled egress draft-passage and a burneropening toward which latter the bottom of the compartment is inclined, of a suspension plate extending into the said opening, an absorbent'pad located between the said plate and the bottom of the opening, and a burner suspended from the said plate in controlling relation to the said burner-opening, the said elements and features being so arranged and proportioned as to measure and control the intake of the secondary air required for combustion and so as to prevent the escape of heat from the cookingcompartment, whereby the controlled egressdraft-passage assists the burner during the period of fire-cooking in the intake of secondary air and assists the burner during the period of fireless-cooking in preventing the escape of heat from the cooking cornpartment.

5. In a cooking apparatus for conjoint the and fireless-cooking, the combination ,with a cooking compartment having a controlled egress draft-passage and a burneropening, of a burner arranged in controlling relation to the said burner-opening, a fuelsupply, means for automatically terminating the period of fire-cooking and beginning the period of tireless-cooking, and means independent of the said fuel-supply for setting the apparatus preparatory to fire-cooking, the said elements and features being so arranged and proportioned as to measure and control the intake of the secondary air required for combustion and so as to prevent the escape of heat from the cooking compartment, whereby the controlled egress draft-passage assists the burner during the period of fire-cooking in the intake of secondary air and assists the burner during the period of fireless-cooking in preventing the escape of heat from the cooking compartment.

6. In a cooking apparatus for conjoint fireand fireless-cooking, the combination with a cooking compartment having a controlled egress draft-passage and a burneropening, of a burner arranged in controlling relation to the said burner-opening, a fuelsupply, means for storing energy for terminating the fuel-supply, cocking means for restraining the energy so stored, automatic means for releasing the cooking means and permitting the stored energy to terminate the fuel-supply, means independent of the said fuel-supply for manually setting the apparatus for fire-cooking and cocking the said cocking means, and means independent of the said cocking means for operating and controllingthe fuel-supply.

HAROLD V. GOES. 

